One of my blog reader had recently contacted me on one of the more sensitive complains that I had encountered. It’s about National Service, Economy and future of Singapore.

He was a young Entrepreneur way back in his days in school days and had successfully set up a profitable business hosting websites for others giving him a profitable revenue about SGD$200k per year total with assets and potential growth at about SGD$1.5 million in 3 years before 18 years old.

He was enjoying the fruits of his labor then until one fine day he received the much dreaded letter.

“CALL UP for National Service!” He almost fainted.

He immediately wrote in an email but got no reply then finally 1 month later, someone called and read the entire national conscription act to him!

He got so angry but the caller says it’s his Commanding Officer ask him do it and “he is just another innocent NS Men following instructions”.

So the young boss asked the NS Men what is options left for him, the reply was pretty shocking.

“Break a leg, get disabled, get a sick relative to defer for a few months or close down your business“

He demanded to talk to the Commanding Officer (CO) and the Commanding Officer told him frankly that his (then) business is too small to defer the National Service or alternatively he can become a scholar to get deferment to study.

The Commanding Office even says that he might get “Charged” if the Military found out that he is doing business during his national service.

With that, the young boss is no more.

He sold his $200k per year Business that have about 6,000 clients world wide and willingly enlist into National Service to “serve” his duties to “defend” his beloved country.

The young boss told me that the Government shouldn’t even push any types of Entrepreneurship promotion in school or give grants to budding businessmen only to crush their dreams & business by forcing them into national service.

Currently, he had to painfully restart his business start-up and hope that he can get similar success like the last time in this volatile economy.

This is a catch-22 problem, firstly you cannot avoid national service totally if you are fit and born in Singapore and that also include Permanent Residents of the “correct age”.

If we wants to compare to other country like Vietnamese where national service is Compulsory similar to Singapore except that in Vietnam….if the guys is currently employed or they are studying University…they DO NOT NEED TO SERVE National Service.

Vietnam does it nicely that their national service that did not set as the highest priority over employment, businesses or education.

However if they are jobless or not studying…they will be requested to serve the national service unless they are older than 27 years old.

Here in Singapore is totally different as we need to serve not only 2 years compulsory national service in basic military training but also do reservist concurrently while we are working outside which sometimes disrupting important schedules for the guys that may cost them their company’s profit or even their jobs.

For this case, the young boss lost his whole company….

My solution to this sensitive problem is as follows ….hehehehe

1. Start a private organization to break young people leg to defer their National Services enlistment at a charge of $10k per leg.

2. Open a Disabled Young Business Entrepreneurship degree course BEFORE they are disabled.
3. Government to buy over his business at higher price and made it Government Linked Company…like many other businesses.
4. Government to open a small committee to approve on case by case basis and make these young & successful businessman to commit a small deposit of 10k for a 1 year deferment and if their company do well in 1 year then defer their national service indefinitely and advertise them to the world that Singapore Government “MADE” this successful business man!

   …Otherwise the deposit gone and enlist him anyway (WIN WIN)

Welcome any feed backs!

Tweet This Post